House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald stands to respond to Chris Grayling.

Referring to Health Secretary Matt Hancock's appearance in the Commons yesterday to respond to an urgent question on the Eurotunnel agreement, he adds:

"It is good to see the transport secretary finally in his place today, having tried and failed to bring him to his place yesterday," Mr McDonald adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

"We need to make sure this country is ready for a no-deal Brexit and all eventualities," Mr Grayling continues.

"Sometimes you have to take risks", he says, adding that this is something "sensible governments" do, if it is in the national interest.

House of Commons
Parliament

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling says he stands by the decisions that the government took, which he adds were "in the national interest".

SNP MP Joanna Cherry asks Mr Grayling to confirm that "not a single penny" of the £33m paid to Eurotunnel will be returned to the government if a deal is reached with the EU.

Mr Grayling responds: "The deal that we have done is to pay for additional facilities at he border, to create a smoother flow at the border".

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald intervenes to say "we are asking for a modicum of competence, and he's singularly failed."

Mr Grayling responds that the risk of awarding the contracts was "judged collectively across government".

He says the agreement with Eurotunnel last week was "not about the contract with Seabourne Freight".

"It was about the procurement process, and particularly about the continuing contracts we have with Brittany Ferries and DFDS for additional ferry capacity into the UK", he adds.

He adds that he "stands by the decision" to award the contract to Seabourne Freight and "give that company a chance", adding that no money has been paid to the firm.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling says last autumn the government was told to prepare for a longer period of disruption in the case of a no-deal scenario.

He says when this was made clear, Health Secretary Matt Hancock raised the issue of the supplies of medicine in this scenario.

Mr Grayling adds that the government decided to go to ferry industry to secure capacity for delivery of medicine.

"It was my judgement, and the judgement of my accounting officer that this was a risk we should take," Mr Grayling adds.

"I stand by the decision to make sure that we could guarantee the supply of medicines in a no-deal exit."

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Opening his speech, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling says the government has been conducting preparations for a no-deal Brexit "for months and months".

These preparations have been stepped up since last summer, he says - a process which "any responsible government" would have done, he adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

"Contingency planning needs to put proper and robust procedures in place, and it is quite clear that has not happened", Mr Brown continues.

He asks for information about the financial implications of the government awarding Seaborne Freight a no-deal Brexit ferry contract, and questions why so few Conservative backbenchers are present in the Commons this afternoon to support the government.

The transport secretary's failure to answer questions in the Commons on the matter shows that Chris Grayling is aware of his incompetence, Mr Brown says.

He calls on Mr Grayling to "do the right thing and step aside".

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

The SNP's Alan Brown says he requested the debate due "the lack of transparency and accountability" from the government.

He says the government's no-deal Brexit preparations are a "mess", and that the process for awarding the no-deal ferry contracts "started in secrecy and continues to be shrouded in secrecy".

Mr Brown adds that when it emerged that one of the firms, Seaborne Freight, had no ships and no history of running ferry services, it was "like a sick joke".

Image source, Reuters

The SNP's transport spokesman Alan Brown is now opening this afternoon's emergency debate on no-deal Brexit ferry contracts.

The debate, which can last up to three hours, was granted by Speaker John Bercow earlier this afternoon.

Last week the government said it would pay £33m to Eurotunnel in an agreement to settle a lawsuit over extra ferry services in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, who has faced criticism over the awarding of one of the contracts, is expected to take part in the debate.

House of Commons
Parliament

SNP MP Martin Docherty-Hughes is now speaking against Mr Davies' bill.

Mr Docherty-Hughes says that it would be "hypocritical" for him not to oppose this bill, as he is opposed to privilege which is endorsed by the state.

He says it is an extraordinary position to want to enshrine privilege either for a man or woman in the 21st century.

"It is an affront to Parliamentary privilege" to have others sitting in the Lords having privileges when they are unaccountable, he states.

"If we believe in equality" then the hereditary peerage must be abolished, he says.

The bill passes without division.

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative MP Philip Davies is now introducing his Hereditary Titles (Female Succession) Bill which calls for the abolition of male primogeniture for hereditary titles.

Under current law, first born daughters are discriminated against in favour of younger brothers and therefore women are, with a tiny number of exceptions, not entitled to stand in the by-elections for the 92 hereditary seats in the House of Lords.

The bill has cross-party support including from Maria Miller, the Chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee.

Victoria Derbyshire

Image source, Getty Images

Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine's Gender-based Pricing (Prohibition) Bill, banning what she calls "a sexist tax", is now being introduced.

Ms Jardine wants to stop items such as razors or deodorants from being priced differently based on whether they are marketed at men or women.

She says higher-priced products coupled with the gender pay gap mean women are being hit by a "double whammy".

The bill passes its first reading and will have its second reading on 22nd March.

You can read more about the bill here.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

SNP's transport spokesperson Alan Brown is now introducing his SO24 application for an emergency debate on ferry contracts in the event of no-deal Brexit.

He questions why the government caved on the matter of paying Eurotunnel compensation if they were confident of their position, and says "clarity and breakdown of compensation costs versus local service improvements", needs to be provided to MPs and the public.

He calls for Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, who is on the front bench, to come to the dispatch box and answer for himself.

The Speaker grants the SO24 application and says the emergency debate will happen this afternoon after Conservative MP Philip Davies private members bill.

He welcomes Mr Grayling to the chamber.

House of Commons
Parliament

The Independent Group (TIG) member and Chair of the Health Committee Dr Sarah Wollaston says fellow TIG member Luciana Berger is currently on maternity leave, but she is "shocked and saddened" to hear reports that the Labour Party are trying to remove her from her role on the select committee.

She claims that Labour are “seeking names” to replace Luciana Berger on the Health Select Committee

Fellow TIG member Joan Ryan rises to raise a further point of order reiterating Dr Wollaston's views.

The Speaker John Bercow says "procedurally the position is clear": the changes in select committee membership are made by the Commons based on motions moved by the Selection Committee.

MPs must notify that committee if they think another MP should be deposed, he adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell says the government is attempting to purchase votes of Labour MPs to vote for the Brexit deal.

He questions what the price of a Labour MP's vote is if the price of the DUP vote is £100 million.

Mr McDonnell says Labour MPs were offered £6m.

He further questions if Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd is "the only cabinet minister willing to put country before party", and calls on Mr Hammond to "find a backbone".

The Chancellor Philip Hammond says "I have been working tirelessly to avoid a no-deal Brexit."

"In what I think is the unlikely scenario of a no-deal Brexit, we have the firepower and the clear intent to intervene to support the economy," he adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative MP Tim Loughton says yesterday's Westminster Hall debate on school funding had a fantastic attendance, and calls on schools and children's social care "to be at the top of the upcoming spending review".

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss says the UK is the top in the G7 for spending in these areas, but that she recognises the need to focus on education.

Last week independent MP Fiona Onasanya was released from prison less than four weeks after she was convicted of lying to police over a speeding ticket.

The SNP's spokesperson for transport Alan Brown will make an application for an emergency debate on the no-deal ferry contract later today.

The Speaker will decide whether to accept the application.

If the application is accepted, the Speaker will decide when the emergency debate takes place.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP Gerald Jones asks what discussions Mr Hammond has had with the business secretary on potential job losses as a result of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury Mel Stride says the government's analysis indicates that leaving the EU without a deal would not be good for the UK economy which is "why we are so determined as a government to secure a deal that can pass through this House".

Mr Jones says decisions by car manufacturers to move production out of the UK is "a sign of things to come" and says he has "significant worries".

The SNP's economy spokesperson Kirsty Blackman says 100,000 jobs will be loss in a no-deal Brexit, and under the prime minister's deal unemployment could be "up to 4% higher" according to the Bank of England.

She questions whether the Chancellor believes "keeping his job is worth losing thousands of theirs".

Mr Stride says the government is committed to ensuring employment remains at a record high.